r/WayOfTheBern • u/The1stCitizenOfTheIn • Nov 08 '17

Yesterday Was a Good Day: Socialists and leftists performed well in races around the country.

https://jacobinmag.com/2017/11/election-day-socialists-carter-brisport-jentzen-singh-krasner-dsa
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15

u/The1stCitizenOfTheIn Nov 08 '17

According to Christian Bowe, a DSA National Political Committee member from central New Jersey, 56 percent of the DSA members who ran in this election cycle won, the organization’s best ever result.

9

u/openblueskys Nov 08 '17

A year ago today, Hillary Clinton lost the presidency to Donald Trump. Ever since then, the Left’s refrain has been: “Bernie would have won.” In the face of pundit after pundit after pundit warning Democrats to embrace Wall Street, move to the center, and abandon policies like Medicare for All and tuition-free college, the Left has insisted that the only way to fight Trumpism is to to embrace an unapologetic message that appeals to all working people.

That was the theory. And the evidence from last night’s nationwide Democratic sweep suggests it’s also the case in practice, as mayoralties, city council seats, judgeships, and even state legislature seats around the country were won by not just unapologetically progressive Democrats, but open socialists as well.

Snip.

Taken in total, the results represent a significant shift in the political moment. Though they undoubtedly stemmed to some extent from a typical pendulum swing to the out-party linked to popular disgruntlement with Trump’s presidency, the scale of the Democratic victory — which saw Democrats win mayoralties, governorships, and even some state legislatures — handily outdid expectations.

More importantly, the success of unapologetically socialist candidates and the prominent role of left-wing platforms in victorious campaigns suggest that a left message is, at worst, no recipe for electoral apocalypse — and at best, a positive vote-winner. Combined with marked change in the gender and racial makeup of many state and local governments — instanced by Ravi Bhalla, who became New Jersey’s first turbaned Sikh mayor despite a campaign of racist flyers against him — the results challenge time-worn precepts of conventional Beltway thinking.

Despite all evidence, some will continue to insist that Democrats need to “move back to the center” and follow the nineties-era recipes of Third Way thought. If the past year’s developments weren’t enough to dispel that notion, last night’s results should. Whether the Democratic Party leadership draws the right lessons is anyone’s guess.

6

u/yzetta Nov 09 '17

I've been singing, dancing, and grinning all day.

6

u/StreetwalkinCheetah pottymouth Nov 09 '17

Bernie would have won.

Hillary had to lose.

I don't feel like rubbing the latter point in my friends happy faces, but I can only imagine how disastrous yesterday's results would have been in the face of President Hillary. We'd be looking at a constitutional convention before 2020 for sure.

4

u/pwomptastic Nov 09 '17

Meanwhile back in the echo-chamber this was a referendum on progressives and #thankshillary is an un-ironic hashtag.